


One Hundred and One

by thornbitten



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 20:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19092346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thornbitten/pseuds/thornbitten
Summary: Although Riku was right in front of him, he had never seemed so far away.





	One Hundred and One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing something outside of a literary course :0

There were many things that Sora understood to be constant. Everpresent in his memory was the faint scent of salt that would carry from the sea to the sands of the beach, and the cry of seagulls from above. Sora knew that the sun would always hang brightly overhead, and there would always be Riku. Riku, who he had known for all of his life. Practically inseparable for as long as they both could remember; a day didn’t pass that the two didn’t see each other. It was always Sora and Riku. Riku and Sora. Neither of them could imagine what it would be like without the other.

Growing up, the two shared fantasies of adventure; of traversing the waves on a heroic journey. Their boat would take them to far-off lands filled with exciting new things to do and see. They’d overcome any villains with ease, and their lives would be a grand tale forevermore. Of course, they were young and naive, so these visions never left the confines of their own imaginations.

Since partaking on a swashbuckling expedition wasn’t an option on their to-do list, they had to find other ways to spend their days. While the mainland held much to do, the two much preferred to venture out to a smaller islet off of the coast when they could. Sora’s dad would paddle them out using an old rowboat, and they would row back only after the boys had exhausted all of their energy racing around the island, or the sun had begun to set.

While the play island did well to provide an escape from the mainland, it was still small and unchanging. The ache to see what was beyond the expansive ocean was still present within the friends’ hearts, but they found themselves being happy with each other’s company just the same. Their lives seemed to have settled into place. That was, until, they received some unexpected visitors. 

The first of the two was a brunet man of tall stature. While Sora didn’t get a very good look at him, he could sense his exuding strength. His might was something he could only admire from afar, as it seemed like the man was busy speaking with Riku. They shared a brief interaction before his silver-haired companion returned to him; keeping the details of their discussion a secret. 

The second mysterious stranger was a kind-eyed woman with azure-colored hair. She gazed upon Sora and Riku with a gentle expression as she spoke,

“Sora, do you like Riku?”

There was no thought put into his response as he answered the woman’s question. Riku was Sora’s best friend, so how could he say no?

“Good. So then if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost... or say he starts wandering down a dark path alone, you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe. That’s your job Sora, and I’m counting on you to do it, okay?”

He never understood the weight of those words until it was too late.

Following the arrivals and departures of the two unknown travelers, life continued on the Destiny Islands. A girl with vibrant red hair and no memories to call her own washed up on their shores one evening, and the two were quick to introduce themselves to her. They were eager to know where she came from, or what the outside world was like. She really couldn’t remember a thing, to the two boys’ disappointment, but they recognized her spunky attitude and daring spirit to be quite similar to their own. Kairi became part of their adventures, and the duo was now a trio.

As time went on, the three of them grew old enough to row out to the play island on their own. Santa gifted the three of them wooden rowboats for Christmas one year, though Riku was quick to insist that Santa wasn’t real and the boats were actually from Sora’s dad. They went out to the islet as much as they could now, with parental permission of course. This is what Sora recognized to be constant.

Although, Sora couldn’t shake the feeling that something changed in Riku ever since he spoke to that mysterious man on the beach. The shift was faint and barely noticeable, only becoming apparent on occasion. The adventurous glint in his eyes when discussing the outside world sometimes became a deeper, more powerful hunger without Riku even realizing. Sora paid it little mind however, as these occurrences only happened every once in a while. 

He kept telling himself that things were just like they were before, but there would be moments when Sora would catch Riku gazing over the horizon and would feel as if he was suddenly one hundred and one miles away. Out in the sea, where Sora’s toes couldn’t reach the sand below and if he stayed out there for too long he would surely drown and sink to where the sun’s light could no longer reach him. 

But then, Riku would turn to him with a lopsided smile while saying “What’s wrong Sora, do I have something on my face?” and once again Riku was with him on the beach.

Sometimes, Sora wondered, if one day Riku would take off to sea and never return again. To a place where Sora could only paddle for so long until his arms gave out and he was falling sinking submerging gasping choking-

So Sora would bump his shoulder against Riku’s as he sat down next to him, letting out a short laugh before replying, “Nothing except the usual!”, and maybe things would be okay for now.

He really should have listened to the woman’s advice.

Distant sounds of thunder alerted Sora to the horrific weather out on the play island where he just was earlier that same day. Acting solely on instinct, he climbed out of his window, retrieved his boat, and began to row out deeper and deeper into the storm. 

Although Sora could recount the episodic rainstorms that would blanket the islands from time to time, he had never experienced one of this magnitude before. The wind whipped against his skin; the rainfall slicing at him like minuscule bullets. Even with the barrage of precipitation clouding his vision and the violent gusts of air pushing his bangs in front of his eyes, Sora could make out the telltale silhouettes of two boats similar to his own along the pier. A shiver far more chilling than the winds around him coursed throughout his entire being. If his friends were here, then he had to find them and make sure they were safe. If he wasted another second, he could be too late... with that thought in mind, he sprinted forward towards the shore.

Even as shadows manifested at his very feet and clawed at his skin until it tore and bled, Sora did not stop to rest. His legs carried him across sand and planking as his frantic gaze scoured every inch of the island. He couldn’t bear to consider how Kairi could be holding up through all of this, but more than anything, he needed to find Riku. If any of them knew what to do in this situation, it would be him. Riku was always so much better at things than Sora was.

Blinking through the curtains of rain, Sora focused upon the separate islet residing off of the coast, above which was a sight one could only describe as pure darkness. A contorting and swirling mass of depravity and despair; simply looking upon it made him fill with unease. Before he could rush off to continue with his frenzied search, he spotted a figure amongst the nightly dimness. Although the frame was barely distinguishable, Sora knew who it was standing there and gazing out over the horizon. With his heart racing and his breathing becoming evermore labored, he took off towards his best friend and the darkness surrounding him.

Upon reaching the sands of which the figure stood, he desperately called out Riku’s name. Time seemed to still as he turned back to look at Sora with an unreadable expression. In spite of the rough downpour having been able to overtake his sense of hearing just prior, Riku’s distressing words rung clear. He spoke of leaving the islands and adventuring the outside world. That’s what they had always planned to do, so why was Sora so afraid of going with him?

A tan and steady hand reached out towards Sora: an invitation to breach the unknown. He had always believed that delving into uncharted places would be fine as long as he had his friends by his side, but the storm that angrily hung overhead screamed cautions of danger. They needed to get out of here.

Before Sora could even begin to convince Riku of returning with him back home, he felt a shudder run down his spine. Riku was right in front of him, boring into his eyes with his own aquamarine stare, and yet he had never seemed so far away. He had casted himself into the depths, away from Sora and everything Sora knew to be constant, but didn’t he know that the waves were treacherous? And that the sky was guarded by clouds? And that your toes couldn’t reach the sand below and he would surely drown and sink to where the sun’s light could no longer reach him and-

But Riku was fine. He wore a confident smile on his face that Sora knew so well, as it would so often be directed his way. Sora couldn’t lose that smile, and so he reached out towards Riku.

Towards the hand that was right in front of him and one hundred and one miles away and Riku was so close and Riku was so far away and as soon as Sora’s hand brushed against Riku’s to pull him out of the ocean and onto the shore away from the waves and the dark-

Riku drowned.

**Author's Note:**

> Metaphorically drowned, that is ;)


End file.
